About

Hello Mazel: Reinventing Jewish...One Box at a Time

$152,021

pledged of $18,000 goal

1,395

backers

Hello Mazel is a quarterly box of Jewish stuff. Sent from us, to you.

The premise is pretty simple, really. We'll deliver something delightful, simple, fun and delicious - right to your door, four times a year. Bonus points for the fact that it's Jewish and will probably rock your world.

You'll get carefully selected Jewish awesomeness, hand-picked and crafted by our team of Mazel Stars. Think habanero horseradish dill pickles for Passover or single origin chocolate gelt for Hanukkah (no promises on that, we want to surprise you). We're also reimagining ritual items like the seder plate.

We're working on some amazing collaborations, too, with incredible artists and designers who are working on one-of-a-kind products for you. Plus conversation starters, drink recipes, how-to's, inspiration, stories, ritual guides and more. All generated by the Mazel Stars.

We should also mention that this is an entirely nonprofit project. As in, we have a mission to help more people do more Jewish...and that's it. Any and all net profits will support innovative Jewish life across America and beyond.

The idea for Hello Mazel was born at The Kitchen (San Francisco) in the spring of 2014. We thought to ourselves, "There's got to be a way to get more Jewish to more people." Two years later? Meet Hello Mazel.

Why do you need this? Because we believe there is a better, more chic, well-designed, super meaningful way into Jew-Land. And, for once, we've got directions.

At Hello Mazel, we believe in the power and content of the experiences we are creating. We believe in the possibility of Jewish life to transform and to make our lives mean something more. So, let’s do this Jew thing. And let’s do it together.

Oh, but if we told you, that would totally ruin the whole point, wouldn't it? But there will be plenty of delightfully fun, surprising bits of Jewishness. Think Jewish but made covetable - with a visual and culinary aesthetic from 2016, not 1974.

All right, all right, some hints about the Passover box:

3 twists on the tastes of Passover.

A Haggadah like none you've ever used.

A seder plate that is not a seder plate.

Yoav Schlesinger

Yoav is kind of a "get things done" kind of dude. He's responsible for pushing Hello Mazel from an idea to reality as the Executive Director of The Kitchen. Before this, he was the Executive Director of Reboot, a national network of Jewish cultural creatives.

Rabbi Noa Kushner

Our rabbinic bona fides are brought to you by the outstanding Rabbi K. She does most of her shopping in vintage stores. She is also the founder of The Kitchen, religious start-up in San Francisco that's shaking things up. So, you know, she brings the Jewish.

Alison Pincus

Alison loves to create brands. In addition to working on Hello Mazel, she is also the co-founder of One Kings Lane. You have probably bought something on that site. Or know someone who has. Needless to say, she likes to find travel in search of awesomeness for you and yours.

Randi Zuckerberg

Randi is an entrepreneur, author, radio host, speaker, actress and mother. She's currently taking over the world and picking great stuff for Hello Mazel. Simultaneously.

Kaitlyn Krieger

Kaitlyn is a product manager, as well as style and fashion genius. She's basically the one who said, "guys, I know how to make this thing real." And we believed her. She has that kind of way with people.

Josh Levine

Josh is a brand ninja, who runs Great Monday. He's responsible for making us feel like we are all way hipper than we are just by being in his presence.

Will I like it?

Yup. We hope so. We can't guarantee it, but we're pretty confident.

When will I get my first box?

Boxes should arrive on doorsteps before Passover, so some time in the first two weeks of April. After that, it'll be every 3 months or so (timing a bit loose to match that darn Jewish calendar).

I backed you guys on Kickstarter but I didn't necessarily buy a box. When can I buy a box?

Well, you sort of did buy a box. If you backed us with $45, your reward is our Passover box. More than that? A few quarters of boxes. After our campaign ends on March 4, the only place/way to subscribe to Hello Mazel will be at hellomazel.com.

Do you do international shipping (Canada, UK, etc.)?

We're working on it. We need to figure out a few pieces of the cost and logistics of seeing if we can make this work somehow. We didn't, frankly, anticipate so much interest from our friends abroad. Keep an eye on the project updates page, as we'll let you know when we do.

UPDATE (2.17): We now ship to Canada! Working on other countries still...

Why should I support this?

Well, you get one or more Hello Mazel boxes / subscriptions when you kick in some dough for this lil' Kickstarter of ours. Plus, this is the only time you'll ever be able to get a single box - after the campaign ends, the only option will be 6-month or year-long subscriptions.

What's in the box?

See above. Oh, and isn't part of the magic in the surprise?

Is it kosher?

Hello Mazel is "Kitchen Kosher," meaning all of the ingredients are kosher (we'll never send chocolate dipped bacon to your door) but the products don't necessarily carry a hechsher (certification of rabbinic supervision). For Passover, the food will be Kosher-for-Passover-style, meaning no wheat or grain-products, but will similarly not be certified specifically Kosher for Pesach.

UPDATE (2.17): We've received a lot of requests for a Kosher version of this box. While we don't have the capacity to do either an exclusively Kosher or box-without-food right now, we're exploring the possibility for Phase II or Phase III of our development. Stay tuned.

Risks and challenges

We've got all the goods lined up for Box Numero Uno. We just have to lock down the logistics of getting those boxes packed and shipped. It's fairly straightforward, but there can always be hiccups in the supply chain. Don't worry, though, we're on it.